Ratchet mechanism.



G. 0. LEOPOLD.

RATGHET MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED 001210, 1911.

1,027,261. y Pntea May 21, 1912.

STATES PATENT oEEIoEv j -sEoEeE o.- LEoPoLn, or PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA; AssIcrNoE. 'ro NonrHBBos co... or PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A conPoEA'rIoN .or PENNsYL- 'a citizen' of the UnitedStates, residing 1n '.Phi'ladelphia, Fennsylvania, have invented certain- Improvementsl in Ratchet Mecha- 'To all may concern Be it known that I, GEoRGE O. LEoPoLp,

nism, of whichthe fol-lowing'is a specifica'- 'The object my invention is to construct `a pawl and-ratchet mechanism especially in engagement with their ratchet wheels, and

the other spring heavier than the tl'rst mentioned sprin andadapted to lift the pawls when shift to a given position.

Ink the accompanying drawings :-Figure f 1, is a plan viewbf the barrel containing the ratchet mechanism and illustrating the awls` in osition and the ratchet Wheels 1n dotted lines; the shifting mechanism being removed- ;jFig. T2, is a View similar to Fig..1, with-the light springvadded; Fig.

3, is a view similar'to Fig. 2, with the shifter in position; Fig. 4, is a View similas' to Fig. 3, with the heavy spring in position; Fig. 5, isV a'. view of the notched shellv showing the; shifter projecting through the,

` slot; Figi 6, is-.a;transverse sec lonalview-on i' the. line`6- -6, Fig.I 5; Fig.2-7, is a detached perspective A view of vthe ifour pawls; Fig. 8,

is a detached perspective view 'of the lightl s 'ring' Fig. ,9 is'a detached-perspective vliew of .t he shifteriandfFig. 10, is a d e- -tachedV perspectiyef' v1ew ofthe heavy spring.

A. -This inventionis j particularly adapted -for use in hand tools, suchia screw drivers and arms, but it-willbeundersfboathnthe invention can be used "'for' an .purpose for which needed.

A is the barrel, which isf mounted on a spindle B, Fig. 1 and.projectiiigintofeach end ot the barrel is a ratchet wheel b, which is loose on thespindle-B in V thepresent instance;.-'the barrel being. vsecured to thel ratchet mechanism o thistype spindle.

Specicatibn of Letterslfatent. PatntedM Application led October 10, 1 911. Serial'lo. 658,872.

EATCHET MEGHANISM."

' trunnions d' and tail pieces d2, which are bent as illustrated in Fi 7, so as to be acted upon by the'shifter ,which is made as clearly shown in Fig. 9 in the present instance. `The pawls are -so arranged that eo onepawl will act when the ratchet wheel is vmoved in one direction and will lift when the ratchet wheel is moved in the opposite direction. The pawlsrest vin a groove a in .the barrel A as clearly shown in Fig. 6, and

the trunnions are mounted in the transverse slots a, Fig. 1. The tails d? of each pair of pawls pass each other, as illustrated 1n Fig. 1; vbeing less in width than the body portion of the pawl.

.The design of the without departing from the .essential feature of the invention, which istlie use of two springs of different strength.

- Adapted to rest upon the awlsas illustrated in Fig. 2, is a spring of the type shown in Fig. 8,'having two end members f--f which rest on the pawls slightly beyond the trunnions and a cross member f which connects the two end members. The spring 8o has projections which enter the 'transverse slots a 'in the barrel and are thus held' against longitudinal movementso that they will not be moved out of. positionwhen the shifter is moved longitudinally as this spring remains in the same 'position at all times irrespective of the osition of. the

shifter and the tendenc vo this spring -is to force all'of .the paw s into engagement l lwith their respective ratchet wheels The shifter E is made as clearly shown in Fig. 9 andhas alongitudinal portion e which clears the tails of the pawls and lateral projections e vand e2 whlch are so formed that any one or two of the pawls. can

bereleased while the others of the awls are held out of engagement. `This shi er has a knob ci? which extends through a slot g in a yshell-Gr. on the barrel Af The shell holds the several parts in position. Mounted between 100 the l.shellGr and the shifter E 1s the heavy spring" 1,- which has a 'central opening i 'l through which entends-the knobjes of the shifter.' On each side of this opening are projections' i which `are arranged to engage 105 thenotches g in thev side walls of the slot g tollockthe shifter inthel position to vwhich it is adjusted. The spring has .small projections z'* on. theA 'underside' at each. end which 70 pawl may be .modiied E so that the spring is held from swiveling on the central projection e3 and must move with the shifter. When the shifter is moved so as to release one or more of they pawls and to raise others out of engagement with their respective wheels the spring I being much stronger than the spring F positively forces the par ticular pawls out of engagement against the pressure of the spring F, so that the ratchet mechanism is positive in its movement and there will be no possibility of the pawls becoming disengaged owing to the rough usage to which a hand tool of this character is subjected.

I claim:

1. The combination in ratchet mechanism, of a barrel;,ratchet Wheels; pawls pivotally mounted on the barrel and arranged to engage they ratchet wheels; a single fixed spring bearing upon all of the pawls to force them into engagement with the ratchet wheels; a shifter for releasing some of the pawls; a spring bearing upon the shifter and of greater strength than -the {ixed spring and a shell inclosing the mechanism.

2. The combination in ratchet mechanism,

- of a barrel having a longitudinal recess and two transverse recesses; four pawls mounted in the longitudinal recess and having trunnions mounted inthe transverse recesses; ratchet mechanism with which the pawls engage; a fixed spring having cross members at each end and a longitudinal member connecting the cross members; said cross members bearing upon the pawls beyond their trunnions and having extensions projecting into the transverse recesses whereby the spring is held against longitudinal movement; a shifter' having projections adapted `through which said project-ion extends. f 3. The combination in ratchet mechanism,

of a shell having a longitudinal slot therein and 't'wo transverse slots spaced apart, ratchet wheels, one mounted at each end of the shell; four pawls havingl lateral trunnions mounted in the transverse slots of the shell, the body of the pawls being mounted in the longitudinal slots and each pawl having projecting tails; a light spring having lateral extensions at one end and a cross member connecting the extensions; said lateral extensions bearing upon the pawls beyond the trunnions and engaging the lateral slots in the barrel, whereby the spring is prevented from moving longitudinally7 so that it always has a fixed relation in respect to the pawls; a. shifter mounted above the spring and having a lateral extension arranged to bear upon the tails of the pawls to force them out of engagement with their ratchet wheels; a heavy spring mounted above `the shifter and adapted to move therewith; a shell inclosing the mechanism and having a slot therein; a knob on the shifter extending through' the heavy spring and through the slot.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my A name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

GEORGE O. LEOPOLD. Witnesses J os. H. KLEIN, i WM. A. BARR. 

